Fridays with Seed Boy: Helpful hints for a thriving garden

Ready for garden preparation, planning and planting? Check! After planting, and throughout the summer, your garden will require a little bit of love. Today’s post will be a composition of helpful hints to make your garden a huge success.

Be sure to weed your garden often. Weeds will steal nutrients and water from our garden plants and hold them back. Use a garden hoe to cultivate the dirt near the plant and a rototiller for larger areas.

Don’t hesitate to water your garden. Michigan summers can be pretty brutal – plants need water too. The best time to water is early in the morning before the bright sun rises. Try to avoid watering at night.

Feel free to apply synthetic or organic fertilizers. They’re like vitamins for plants – contributing nutrients needed for growth. If you chose to apply fertilizer, make sure there is no rain in the forecast.

Also, check your garden rows to see if the plants are growing properly. Sometimes they are planted too thick and choke each other out. The solution is simple. Thin the row by removing crowded plants.

Your garden will be in large growth stages from June to August. Allow time for the plants and produce to mature. The majority of your harvesting will take place in August and September. Certain plants will reach maturity at different days. It is important to accommodate the different needs of each individual plant.

It has been an honor to walk you through the stages of gardening. If you have any questions, feel free to post them as a blog comment.